Why would students at the University hire a lawyer just before Halloween?  Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, is celebrated  yearly at The Capstone when local children haunt Sorority Row. Candy is distributed by the co-eds to the tiny Trick-Or-Treaters.  On most other occasions fraternity members besotted by love and/or alcohol, football fans or election day limos have frequented the part of the campus reserved for sorority girls. It was suggested that appropriate costumes for the disguised little tikes this year might be an “I Voted” sticker, a beer bottle or a shot glass. Maybe some could even be dressed as Back Street Boys?  Many of the kids may end up with a School Board Member that represents them who was chosen by the Greeks. Why shouldn’t they at least get some candy too?

All Hallows Eve celebrates the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day.  It initiates the triduum of Hallowmas, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers. This year many of the University’s Greek students are apparently feeling martyred.

Attorney Robert Prince is quoted in a  report by Stepanie Jones in The Tuscaloosa News Kelly Horwitz election challenge: Several University of Alabama Greek Organizations hire attorney to represent members.*

“I was surprised the plaintiff chose to list the unprotected names of UA students, some of whom were 18 and 19 years old, when she made her allegations of voter misconduct. Needless to say, that has had a chilling effect on some of them about exercising their right to vote. They, as all qualified U.S. citizens, have the right to freely cast their vote and do it by secret ballot.

“Our petition to intervene on behalf of the listed fraternities and sororities is designed to protect that right, while hopefully shielding them from further personal condemnation.”

Affidavits from 400 or so students are due on Halloween. The notarized 36-question documents were ordered by Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge James Roberts, so that hundreds of students would not be inconvenienced  by having to line up like cattle to testify in the halls of justice.

It was reported in The Tuscaloosa News that:  Horwitz claims many of the voters didn’t meet residency requirements or were illegally influenced by Greek organizations that offered incentives, such as free drinks, to vote for Kirby.

Prince, who filed a motion to intervene on behalf of members belonging to the UA chapters of Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternities, and Zeta Tau Alpha, Kappa Delta and Alpha Omicron Pi sororities, also represents Sayre Kearley, an individual whose ballot is being contested.

On the day of the election student voters were only whining about the trouble that they were going through to get a free drink. One Instagram image of a smiling Chi O member riding to the polls in a limousine went viral. The student then made her Instagram account private. Now Greeks are lawyering up because their feelings are hurt. Some students who were asked to fess up about illegally voting in a local school board election so that they could get a free drink or a ticket to a concert have now even sought legal counsel.

Maybe they should take heed of Dr. Seuss who said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

*According to the campus newspaper Crimson White some fraternal organizations have been removed from the motion.